All is fair in love and war
by WOLD
Summary: The story is set after the kiss between Rosaline and Benvolio, she goes to see Escalus one last time to try and save him. Saving Benvolio is however the last thing on his mind.
1. How far would I go

"Rosaline Capulet I have never stopped caring for you, I was foolish to ever think I could give you away even in the name of peace. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife."

He could not be serious! I felt the anger creeping up, and I was trying my best to control it. First he gives me away to a family I despise, then he lies and tricks me into agreeing to this ridiculous betrothal, he condemns Benvolio to death after I told him he was innocent and he expects me to just forget everything and marry him. What a condescending, arrogant, self-entitled jackass. I was about to slap him back to reality when my rational mind took over my emotional one. Could I use this to my advantage? Could I sacrifice my future to save Benvolio? I had been forced into my engagement with him, could I enter another in order to save his life. Was it even an option not to try.

"Escalus, I couldn't possibly marry you under these circumstances. To start our lives together as someone is losing theirs would not be a good omen." It was taking every once of self control I possessed to remain calm and charming. I couldn't let him realize my true feelings. I saw a flash of anger pass in his eyes, this was going to require more work then anticipated.

"Don't take me for a fool Rosaline, you're trying to trick me into saving him. He needs to die for Verona to heal, there is no other way."

He had changed so much, the Escalus of my past wouldn't have been so cold, killing an innocent man in order to save his crumbling rule. His innocence was irrelevant to him I realized. He had found the perfect solution to his problem, he gets peace and he gets me. He never would have let Benvolio go, no matter if I had found proof or not.

"I am not like you I do not play with people's emotions in order to achieve my goals." Guilt flashed in his eyes, as I tried not to gag on my lies. I would do anything to save Benvolio, I would deal with the consequences of my actions later.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to imply that you were."

"Ben and I are friends, you have and will always hold my heart. But I cannot marry you when he is being sentenced to death. Now I must go." It was risky to walk out now, but I needed him to be desperate enough to forget all logical thought.

Relief washed over my body as I felt his hand grab mine.

"Wait, don't go." This might actually work, he was falling for it. Part of me felt bad for tricking him, but a life was hanging in the balance. "I can't simply let him go without any explanation, someone needs to pay for all the bloodshed."

The anger was back, so much stronger than before, it was like he had completely disregarded everything I had told him before. I should regained control over my emotions but the words left my mouth before I could.

"I told you Paris is behind all of this, he set Benvolio up and now he's run off with my sister and you are doing nothing to get her back. He is coming for your throne, and your continuing denial of the events unfolding is what will lead Verona into darkness, make no mistake about it ignoring the truth will be your downfall."

As my words hit him he let go of my hand. I needed to fix this, he was pulling away.

"Of course I understand you are worried about Verona and your people, this is a very delicate matter, but if anybody can figure it out it's you." I slowly approached him, placing my hand over his cheek.

"I cannot simply accuse him without any proof, he brought you back to me, he has shown me no reason not to trust him."

"So he hasn't show you any reason not to trust him, but what about me, have I shown you any reason not to trust in my words. And yet you refuse to take my word without any proof. And yet you expect me to marry you, you might be a fool after all."

"Rosaline…"

"No, you need to think about all this, I love you and would be more than happy to marry you, but I will not do so if more blood is spilled. We've had enough of that wouldn't you agree." Not giving him time to answer me I rushed out of the room. There was only a few hours left until the execution, if this plan failed I needed to try and come up with an escape pan.

The guard didn't even bat an eye when he saw me approach, he simply held out his hand waiting for payment. It had been so easy to bride the guard to get time with Benvolio. Paris would have no problem over taking Escalus throne if money was all it took to change the loyalties of his people.

The sight of him broke my heart, he looked like he had given up and resigned himself to his faith. As long as I was still drawing breath I was going to do everything in my power to save him.

"Ben" My voice was barely a whisper looking at him locked away and it was all my fault, my lies had put him here.

My voice startled him, clearly he did not expect me to return.

"Capulet, you shouldn't have come back, people will talk you have to start thinking of your future."

"It won't be much of a future if you're not with me to share it." Ben reached his hand out between the bars separating us, whipping off the tears that I couldn't hold in.

"We need to come up with an escape plan, the guard is easily bribed, maybe we can convince him to aid us in our efforts. Maybe cause an explosion as a distraction like on the day of our public betrothal, people were running in every direction, it might be the perfect cover to help us escape."

"No."

"No? What do you mean no, don't you want to live? Don't you want to run away with me?" My voice cracked as the words left my mouth. Maybe the kiss hadn't meant the same thing to him, maybe it was just a goodbye kiss. Now faced with the idea of running away with me he realized he wanted something different, someone different. "I mean if that's not what you want we can go our separate way as soon as we've left Verona."

"If I could I would follow you and your stubbornness to the ends of the world. But I will not let you become a traitor to the crown just to save me. I won't let you abandon everything for me."

"And what exactly would I be abandoning, apart from Livia I have nothing holding me here and god knows where Paris has taken her."

"But we would be fugitives, I would never be able to give you the life you deserve and if we were ever caught. If Escalus or god forbid Paris found us you would share the same faith as I, and I will not allow that to happen. Rosaline you need to let me go."

"You're asking me to watch you die and do nothing."

"I'm asking you to live." The guard came to get me, our time was up. I wasn't going to convince him to make a break for it, I was scrambling to save him but he continued to try and protect me even from inside his prison. I leaned in longing to feel his lips on mine. Regardless of what would happen next I would not be able to do this again. Feel him all around me, making me feel so warm and cared for. His kiss was gentle at first, but as my body started shaking he deepened it for a moment making me forget where we were and what was to come. When we finally broke apart, startled by the guard urging me to leave, I could barely move. The guard had to physically drag me away. I turned for one last look at the man that had managed to break through all my defences, a man I had begun to fall in love with, a man that was being torn away from me.

"Don't go and do anything foolish for my shake Capulet." Benvolio was wearing is usual smirk trying to look brave, but I could see the fear in his eyes, fear for what was to come or fear of what I might do I could not be sure.

Isabella found me crumbled in a hallway, sobbing uncontrollably. She wanted to go get Escalus, but I begged her not to let him know. My last hope now was that he would fall for my act and set Benvolio free. If he saw me in this state he would never fall for my lie that I was still in love with him. Not with my pain so evident on my face. Isabelle hid me away in her room as I slowly regain control of myself. Just as I finished getting myself together there was a knock at the door.

"Isabella have you seen,… ah there you are. Lady Rosaline would you care for a walk around the garden."

"Of course, how could I refuse my Prince."

Isabella was reluctant to let me go, she hugged me and watched me with worried eyes leave with her brother. Without Livia here, Isabella would have been the one person I could have confided in, but since it involved her brother there was nobody I could turn to.

"Rosaline, I've been thinking about what you said earlier. I'm sorry." My knees buckled at his words, I would have fallen to the ground if Escalus hadn't been holding on to me. All my strength had left my body, I had failed Benvolio.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you about Paris." What! Paris, he wasn't apologizing for killing Ben, he believed me. "I sent some guards to bring him to the palace in order to get to the bottom of your story, he was nowhere to be found. They went to your aunt and uncle's home to see if they knew where he had run off to with your sister."

"And?"

"They were being held against their will, once they were brought to the Palace Lady Capulet told me everything. About saving Paris, mending his woods, making him seduce Livia, sending him out to kill all these people in order to create disorder in Verona. They plotted against me, they were going to overtake me."

Escalus was outraged, but this wasn't news to me and neither was it news to him. He had simply not believe me when I told him the truth. How could he possibly claim to love me, when he couldn't trust me. That was why my heart had changed it's course, I don't know how it happened but I trusted Benvolio, and that trust had turned into love. As I lost trust in Escalus, my feelings for him turned from fondness to hatred.

"So you are going to let Benvolio go?" My voice stumbled a little, but he did not seem to notice that my entire existence depended on what words would come out of his mouth next.

"Yes." It was like was heart that had been put on pause for the last couple of days was finally starting to beat again. But I could not let him see that it was affecting me. "Yes we'll have to make an announcement to the people, turn Benvolio into a spy and this had all been a plot to uncover the truth. We will need to prepare for war. The people will need to be comforted and reassured that the crown will protected them. Announcing our engagement will be a good way to have them see that we have everything under control."

"Our engagement?"

"Yes now that Benvolio is saved, you will be mine." It wasn't a question, it was statement. He had said those words with such anger, challenging me with his eyes to contradict him. It's all it took for me to realize that were I to say no, Benvolio would not be set free, he would not be made into a hero who had uncovered the truth. My words would sealed his fate and mine, I wasn't sure if he would forgive me for the incredible foolish thing I was about to do.

"Of course, I will be your wife."


	2. She doesn't belong to you

I was surprised when instead of heading outside the guard was taking me to the throne room. I would have expected Escalus to have wanted me publicly executed to prove some kind of point. Maybe this way Rosaline wouldn't have to watch, as much as I wanted to see her one last time, I didn't want her there as I met my end.

When we entered the room it was completely empty, only Escalus stood there with this look of victory on his face. In the end he was getting everything he wanted, peace between our families and Rosaline was no longer entangled in an unwanted engagement.

"Leave." The guard retreated without a second glance. "It would seem that new evidence has come to light and Paris is in fact this new Prince people have been referring too." I don't think I have ever been so relieved in my entire life, I had no doubt in my mind Rosaline was the one to finally find proof. But something was off with Escalus, he was acting smug, you would think that after being proven wrong he would be a little humbled by the experience.

"As I've told you my lord I didn't betray Verona, we were trying to save it."

"Yes with this new information it is clear your actions despite not being the wises were done with good intentions." His tone had turned bitter, he clearly was still very angry that I had dragged Rosaline with me, or maybe he was angry because she had chosen to come with me.

"In order to satisfy the people and calm down the tensions we will spin a tale for them. I will inform them that you were sent by the palace to retrieve information on who was causing so much chaos in our fair city and that once you returned with that information in order to fool our enemies you were branded a traitor." That was a far cry from what had actually happened and of course painted the prince in a much better light than the truth would, but if this meet freedom who was I to argue against this fantasy tale he wanted to feed the people.

"How will you explain Rosaline's part in all this, if I was after all working for you she would have had no reason to come with me." Before I agreed to this ridiculous charade I needed to make sure she would come out of it with her reputation intact. It was clear, however, that Escalus still cared for her, I was sure he would never let her come to any harm.

"Paris will take the blame for that. We will say that he was the one that took her from her room with the intent of further implicating you in the hopes of starting a war between your two families. You were sent after her to save her, and that is how you uncovered the truth about count Paris." This was a plausible story, and would most likely turn everyone's anger towards a common enemy.

"Now in order to make this story appear truthful I will have to make you a special guard, responsible for the safety of the most precious person in Verona."

"You?" I would be surprised if that was the case he clearly held no love for me, why would he want me around him all the time.

"Of course not, you will be in charge of the safety of your future queen." No! His words were like a punch to the gut and I took a few steps back under their weight. He couldn't possibly mean,…she would not…she trusted me not him so why. As I was having my mental breakdown I noticed him from the corner of my eye move to the door at the end of the room letting someone in. The flash of a dress had my eyes move from staring at the floor to staring right into Rosaline's eyes. I could see the struggle in them, she was trying to remain emotionless in front of her prince, but it was impossible to ignore the sadness in her eyes. She didn't want this, she had done something foolish after all, all in order to save me. I wanted to scream, I couldn't let her sacrifice her life for mine. She wanted so much more out of life, if she became a queen she would never have the freedom to make her own choices. I would not agree to this ridiculous story. As Escalus turned his attention back to me, her mask of indifference broke and I could see all her pain painted on her eyes were pleading with mine, begging me not to do anything. I wasn't sure what Escalus had told her to agree to this but it was clear by the way she was looking at me that if she backed out of this or if I refused to go along with it death was my only other option.

This explained his smugness, he had been proven wrong at every turn, but in the end he got what he wanted the most and took away from me what I needed the most. Because Rosaline had come to mean so much more to me than a friend. She was like air, I needed her in order to live.

The only decision I could make was to live, to live in order to find a way back to her. An engagement could be broken we were proof of that, but dead I could do nothing for her.

"So Benvolio Montague do you agree to the terms of your release, we've already seen how good Rosaline was at pretending your engagement was real, but what about you will you be able to pull this off." I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or cry at this point, Rosaline had him completely fooled, he truly believed she was still in love with him.

This guard position was meant as a punishment for me, he felt sure she loved only him, but he knew I had feelings for her. He wanted to torture me by having to spend all this time by her side unable to touch her, unable to claim her as mine. He sure loved to act righteous, but he was just like any other man I had encounter in my life not above a little vengeance to satisfy his jealousy.

"My desire has only ever been to serve Verona and my family, if this is the task you assigned to me I would be proud to be of service to the crown." I was grinding my teeth for dear life, trying to sound as neutral as possible. If Escalus thought he would intimidate me into a reaction he was dead wrong. I would be is perfect little soldier, until I could find a way to free Rosaline from this arrangement.

"Very well, now we have a war to prepare for, Rosaline darling come along I'm sure Benvolio would like to clean up. I will send someone to come and fetch you." Escalus dragged her out of the room only to turn around and walk towards me.

"I almost forgot, I'm sure you would want to be free of these." Key in hand he started unlocking my restrains, leaning down to whispered in my hear as Rosaline watched over from the back of the room, "You touch her, you even think about taking her against her will you will find yourself right back here. She's mine understood, you will watch over her and protect her but you step out of line and I will make sure you regret ever crossing me." Well well the prince had a backbone after all, but if he thought for one second that he could frighten me into giving her up he was dead wrong. He would be the one to regret. Regret ever giving her up in the first place and throwing us together. Everyone I have ever cared for were either dead or have betrayed me, Rosaline is the only thing I have left, I would walk through fire for her. If he though he could shake me by claiming she loved him he was a fool, I was going to thrust in her, trust that she was doing all of this to save me.

"Understood."

A few minutes after they left another guard came for me moving me to a nice looking room and provided me with a bath. Escalus was right war was coming, and he was putting Rosaline in grave danger by announcing to everyone their engagement. She would become a target, just like he was. Paris would not rest until he sat of Verona's throne and they were now both standing in his way. He was a idiot in every sense of the word. Actually the more I thought about it the more I came to think that he might be aware of the danger. That's why he was risking placing me as her guard, he knew I would protect her with my life, maybe he wasn't as foolish as he appeared to be.

As I was contemplating the best course of action the door to my room opened and closed just as suddenly, I was no longer alone in my room. I stood up at the sight of her, smiling from ear to ear.

"For god sake Montague put something on."

"I'm not the one who just barged into someone else's room Capulet." The teasing was back, and I have never been so happy to hear her call me by my last name. It was like a memory for the past, before everything we held dear was broken. She blushed as I reached for something to cover myself, turning around to give me more privacy as I got dressed.

"What brings the future queen of Verona to my humble quarters." Guilt flashed in her eyes.

"I didn't have a choice, he found out the truth when Lady Capulet confessed her part in Paris scheme, but if I refused him I feared it wouldn't matter, Ben he was going to see you dead if he couldn't have me." I knew there had to be a reason, but a part of me, the part of me that had been betrayed by my uncle, was afraid that what had happened between us was the lie, that she still wanted him and I had only been a distraction, a second choice.

I crossed the room to her and did what I didn't think I would ever get to do again. Kissing her now felt as incredible as the first time, she was surprised at first but it did not take long for her to respond to my touch. She wanted me. Yet she broke off the kiss far too soon, I needed more, but reality couldn't be ignored any longer. She was not mine to hold.

"I can't stay long, I can't have him suspecting that anything happened between us."

"We will find a way out of this."

"I don't know if there's a way out for me. Ben you can leave, you're innocent, he has no reason to chase after you. Don't stay and play his game, he's placing me under your guard as a punishment but you don't have to stay for that."

"You think I would leave you. Leave you when Verona is about to face war. You have sacrificed so much for me, I will bear a lifetime by your side even if its only as your guard."

"Maybe I'm the one that can't bear it. You think I'm ok with spending time with you but not being able to touch you. To have you stay and watch Escalus and I together, it will slowly kill both of us."

"I have not yet resigned myself to that being your faith. I will get us both out of here."

"He will chase me, he gave me up once, but now its different he's changed. Paris is after his crown, he is not gonna let anybody take what belong to him. And now he thinks I belong to him."

"You don't belong to anyone but yourself. We will figure this out."

"I guess I'll just have to trust you Montague."

"Always."


End file.
